Salinas police officers shot a woman on the corner of East Market Street and Pajaro Street Thursday.

Witnesses said the victim was holding her hands up in the air when she was shot twice by Salinas police officers just after 6 p.m. No officers were injured.

The woman was initially reported as a man because of her shaved head and masculine stature. Witnesses also believed she was a man.

She was confronted by police just east of Oldtown Salinas and across train tracks from a large homeless encampment in Chinatown.

"I heard 'pop, pop' and he was down. He was down on the ground," one witness who goes by the street name "New York" said. "The man's hands where in the air when they shot him."

"There was no warning, no 'halt,' 'stop,' or nothing. There was just 'hey' and 'pop pop,'" the witness said.

Officers were pursuing the woman because she was suspected of committing several robberies at City Suds Laundromat. They found her walking away from the business Thursday after someone called 911.

Police said the woman did not comply with officers' orders to stop. She pulled out a large knife from her waistband and officers erroneously believed she also had a gun.

"When officers verbally challenged the suspect, the suspect failed to follow the officers commands and reached towards the waistband where a dark metallic object was tucked and had the appearance of a handgun. Despite being given stern warnings by the officer to comply the suspect made deliberate movements towards the waistband where the metallic object was tucked and in plain view. As a result, the officer responded to the threat and shot the female suspect," police said.

The woman was lifted into an ambulance and transported to a local hospital.

East Market Street was shutdown and traffic was diverted away from a Highway 101 overpass during the evening rushhour.

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